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Commissioners voted in favor cease and desist order to halt sand extraction operations by December 2020. They approved a settlement that the city of Marina, CEMEX and the State Lands Commission previously agreed to.

The settlement requires CEMEX to undertake habitat restoration and reclamation efforts at the 400-acre Marina plant. CEMEX will also have to transfer sand plant property at a reduced purchased price to a non-profit or government entity. A deed restriction would also limit future uses of the CEMEX property to conservation-related purposes.

This vote moves the settlement to the State Lands Commission for final approval. The agency is expected to look at the agreement during its meeting in August. If the commission approves the settlement, it will usher in the closure of California’s last coastal sand mining operation.

The CEMEX Lapis Sand Plant has operated since 1906, and hauls tons of sand away from the coastline every year, selling it for sandblasting and wellpacking, according to the company’s website.

“The Coastal Commission has taken an important step towards preserving Monterey County’s beaches for public use and preventing their disappearance,” Newsom said in a July 13 press release.

Marina Mayor Bruce DelGado said the city supports the terms of the CEMEX settlement. He said that Coastal Commission approval ends years of contentious dispute over the plant, and avoids years of litigation.

Friday, the Coastal Commission will vote on the resale terms of the Moro Cojo affordable housing subdivision in Castroville.